Nigeria, no doubt, is an artificial creation of the British colonialist. The Berlin Conference of 1884/5 marked the official partitioning of African kingdoms into ‘spheres of interest’ for the European powers, who keenly sought Africa’s resources for their own benefit. Colonialism came with both good and bad sides but, in Africa, its bad side outweighed the good.
African communities were diverted from their natural process of development to meet European standards of urbanization. This denied them the natural right to grow their communities. Rural dwellers were forced to migrate to urban centers in search of the jobs they needed to pay colonial poll and property taxes. This reorganization created a new culture distinct from the indigenous ones common to the people.
Taking Nigeria as a case study, the new colony was given the name ‘Nigeria’ by Lady Florence Lugard, wife of the British Governor-General Lord Lugard, who was responsible for administering British rule over the conquered territory. This was in 1914, when the Northern and Southern British protectorates were amalgamated as one and subjected to the three colonial policies known as ‘The 3Cs’ – Christianity, Commerce and Civilization. These policies acculturated the indigenous people away from their own cultures and traditions.
Take for instance the British educational system and civil service. These were tailored to the English language, not to those of the indigenous people. So rural communities were gradually uprooted from their indigenous languages, being required to learn English as a ‘superior’ language. Indeed, some African languages are on the brink of extinction as a result. This may be called ‘linguicide’. When a sophisticated language is imposed on people, it gradually suppresses the indigenous ones, leaving indigenous communities at the mercy of the colonial language.
The erroneous notion – which has been paraded in Nigeria for many years – is that to be civilized, one must copy British culture and accept its standard of what is right or wrong. In many Nigerian communities this is revealed by the English or biblical names which parents give their children – in the belief that this will make them complete humans. In fact, they have been acculturated from their cultures and traditions to suppose that European standards are the best. As the Pan Africanist Marcus Garvey once said, “a people without the history of their past are like trees without roots”. Nigeria, just like other nations, has lost its history because Nigerians believe that European standards are superior to African ones.
Further evidence Nigerian indigenous communities have been acculturated is provided by the spiritual angle. What the Europeans and Arabs met in Africa was animism – the belief that living and non-living things have spirits and influence human lives and the environment in which they live. Little wonder that trees, rocks, figurines, rivers, wild animals, the rain, sun, moon, and dead ancestors – just to mention a few – are revered so much. But when the Arabs and Europeans came they destroyed this logic and planted Islam and Christianity in the minds of new converts.
To achieve this, they first made Africans hate the indigenous modes of worship their ancestors handed down to them. They demonized them, and called them satanic. The new crop of converts were committed to their belief in the new religions, since this brought social privileges granted by the Europeans and Arabs. Some converts were made warrant chiefs, local administrators, interpreters, business tycoons, etc. Today, the fact that all Nigerian communities have at least three churches or mosques attests to this influence. Such institutions are the spiritual arm of imperialism in Africa – which causes hatred, division, delusion, sexism and the exploitation of the people. And they have balkanized and acculturated Nigerian communities.
Capitalism is also another disease brought to Africa by the Europeans and Arabs which adversely affects the people. It makes a few super-rich but leaves the majority super-poor – unlike the communalism of the past. European and Arab capitalists exploit African resources for their own benefit, but this creates an unequal exchange of goods and services, placing Africa at a disadvantage. As a result, most Nigerian communities have lost their African communalism, a way of life in which communities came together to farm, build houses, and do business for the overall benefit of the community as a whole. No one was abandoned.
But following the coming of capitalism only the privileged have access to resources, and most people are exploited. This creates two classes – the haves and the have nots. This further creates disharmony, ghettoes, poverty, and destitution. As George Bernard Shaw said, “lack of money is the beginning of evil”. There is unequal distribution of resources, which creates even more penury in communities.
As it is today, Nigeria – like other African nations – cannot recover its original state. Westernization and arabanization have acculturated the people away from their cultural and traditional identities, but some things can be done to salvage the situation from total ruin. Political leaders and other influential individuals should adopt policies that will promote both African communalism and the hybridization of foreign and indigenous African cultures.
They would require the colonial educational texts to be translated into indigenous African languages and taught in schools. African cultural attires should be promoted, and children should be made to bear their indigenous names and not foreign ones. We should address our challenges by looking inwards before we look outwards. In this way Nigeria and other colonized countries can recover from the impact of foreign influence which has eroded the African community in us.
By Zacham Bayei